Luxury Watch Sales Are Down… But These Ones Keep Selling Out

• As traditional luxury watch brands struggle, microbrands are quietly taking over the enthusiast space.
• Instagram has levelled the playing field, turning workshop shots and founder rants into the new luxury language collectors actually trust.
• Brands like Baltic, Zentier, and anOrdain are winning with strong design, honest storytelling, and smart pricing.

By now, we’re all familiar with the cost-of-living crisis and its ripple effect across the global luxury market. It’s a difficult time for all of us, from the producer to the consumer, reeling from punitive tariffs which have seemingly dented consumer confidence in the luxury market. It’s forced traditional watch brands to get back into the boadroom and rethink their strategy.

Even the most storied Maisons are under pressure, juggling the need to inflate their prices to match the incurring costs, or discount models to reach a wider audience and still appearing loyal to their core customer base.

It’s certainly not an enviable position. But as we continue to track watch sales at the higher end of the market, something unexpected is happening further down: microbrands have quietly entered the conversation.

For decades, Instagram has enjoyed a lofty position as a curated playground for heritage brands and influencer-fuelled hype, shaping sentiment and drive sales across haute horlogerie.

Yet, now, it equally feels like fertile ground for discovery, flooded with watch journalists, collectors and creators championing lesser-known names; brands that have quietly spent the last few years refining their offerings while the big names fought over margins.

These aren’t novelty watches in the same way we talk about releases from Watches & Wonders. But they’re beautifully built, often hand-assembled, and priced well below their Swiss counterparts, which in today’s climate, makes them not just desirable but sensible.

Names like Danish-born Zentier, French darling Baltic, Swedish minimalist MAEN, and the revitalised British brand Fears have emerged as unlikely powerhouses. Their latest pieces often sell out before hitting the digital shelves, and waiting lists are now the norm.

For these plucky brands, affordability is a key feature for some of the most-sought after pieces, but now they’re adding a culturual relevance to their arsenal. These brands feel personal, passionate, and plugged into a community that’s craving more than just the next hype piece spotted on LeBron James’ wrist.

Take Baltic, for example. What started as a Kickstarter project is now a cult favourite. Its Aquascaphe range blends mid-century dive aesthetics with modern specs, and its MR01 dress watch series regularly crashes websites.

Zentier, meanwhile, delivers brutalist Scandinavian design language with Miyota-powered reliability; a watch nerd’s dream with a minimalist’s eye. Then there’s Fears, once dormant for nearly half a century, now lovingly resurrected by a descendant of its original founder. These are brands with stories, and stories sell.

Perhaps the best example of this microbrand movement maturing is Scotland’s anOrdain. Known for its hand-fired enamel dials, a technique usually reserved for watches 10 times the price, the Glasgow-based brand has become a darling of the enthusiast crowd.

The Model 1, Model 2 and Model 3 regularly appear on the wrists of the world’s most discerning collectors, many of whom now actively seek out watches with a narrative, not just a logo.

Social media has played a key role in this. Platforms like Instagram have flattened the horological hierarchy as it feels as though it’s no longer about which brands have the biggest budget or celebrity ambassador. It’s about who’s showing the most interesting story.

Microbrands win here because they show everything: sketches, prototypes, misfires, founder rants, and success stories. It feels authentic, with community-driven design; responsive, fast, and deeply human. Contrast that with the corporate choreography of larger brands, and it’s no wonder microbrands are having a moment.

Of course, not every small brand will survive the hype. The pendulum will swing back the way of luxury brands again. But for now, in a world where everything from energy bills to first-class flights feels wildly inflated, microbrands are bringing luxury back down to earth. And frankly, it’s about time.